


Spiderwebs

by AeveeItazura



Category: The Venture Brothers
Genre: Kissing, Multi, Villainy, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-07
Updated: 2017-01-07
Packaged: 2018-09-15 10:33:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9230987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AeveeItazura/pseuds/AeveeItazura
Summary: The story detailing Roxanne Whalen's descent into evil.





	1. Spinning Webs

Roxanne wasn't able to see Dean for weeks, neither of their schedules able to line up. Last time she saw him was when he got accepted into college. She finally found an opening and leaped at the opportunity. She wasn't able to get him on his watch but she knows his schedule inside and out. No school for either of them today. Some random holiday celebrating some guy who did something years ago. She bounces into his bedroom and freezes. Without a word, she turns and leaves, dropping the bag of goodies she brought onto the floor.

 

She hears him call for her to wait, but she keeps going. There are only three reasons to have somebody half naked in your room . Jared wasn't dirty and she didn't see any injuries so that only leaves one reason. And it breaks her heart. He catches up to her, and grabs her arm. He explains what was going on but none of his words can get passed the static filling her head. He finishes, looking nervous. She opens her mouth, but has to close it again. She saw a single scrap of a flyer drift by, a deep purple.

 

"Limb," she whispers as the paper drifts by.

 

She knows she sounds crazed as she starts to laugh. This can't be happening, and yet it is. She feels everything going fuzzy. She hears Dean's panicked yelping as he dashes to keep her from hitting her head against concrete. She didn't even realize she was falling until she was in his arms. Making a panicked call to pop, she is sure.

 

Next thing she remembers is waking up in her room. She recognizes the pink blankets of her bed and the lavender of her walls. She opens her eyes and her parents turn to look at her. She doesn't say a word the entire time they were in her bedroom. They leave her to rest, not aware of what happened. She just stays quiet, processing the information. She looks at her hands, sheathing and unsheathing her claws. She knew her chances were low, but having proof waved in your face is different. Her dad comes back with lunch on a tray. Two sandwiches, one ham and cheese, the other plain turkey sandwich. A small bowl of her favorite pudding and orange juice. Nothing too fancy. She eats and watches as he takes the tray away when she finishes. He comes back and leans against the wooden door frame. His white jacket is missing, but he is wearing the pink long sleeve and leggings she is familiar with.

 

"Roxx, sweetie. You alright over there?" he asks.

 

She stares out the window, not acknowledging the voice of her Dad. She plucks a loose hair from her hand. He never told her how he, a New England albino ended up in Colorado. Was it Colorado? It doesn't matter now. New York, new start. She can hear his fingers drum against his side as he tries to figure out what to say. Something to shake her out of this state. But he doesn't have the words either. Father says she has a visitor and Dean walks in with a bouquet of carnations. Red and darker shades of red. He sets them in a vase in front of the window. Dad leaves them alone, winking at Dean before closing the door.

 

Dean tries to explain once more and she just closes her eyes as he tapers off. They sit in silence, just how she wants it. She looks at the vase of flowers. The flowers are so pretty. A single ragged petal is hanging by a thread. It looks like a blood drop against the bronze canvas of the vase. Her mind is working overtime as she thinks about what she is going to do. He leaves, looking crestfallen. He closes the door behind himself, promising to keep in touch. She doubts it. but doesn't say anything.

 

She climbs out of her bed and goes to her closet. She finds her Chimera outfit, pulling on the familiar leather. The mask slips on without hassle. She promised Dad she would give it up, but things have changed. She gets on the edge of her window. Her door opens but she doesn't care as she leaps. She can hear the terrified yelps but she ignores it as the wind whips through her hair. She releases her wings and soars. She gets to her destination and smirks. She lands with not even a whisper. She walks in and is glad it isn't packed for once. The unofficial Guild headquarters, she has only been here a handful of times. She hasn't been back since Medusa passed away.

 

She approaches a man in a purple unitard. He looks down, curious at her. She takes a deep breath and tells him she wants to reconsider quitting the Guild. He leads her to his office and gets settled into a large office chair. He warns her against rash decisions and it's her turn to nod. In his office, she explains what made her reconsider retiring from villainy. He leans back in his office chair, waiting for her to finish her explanation. She makes sure not to skip anything. She finishes and puts her hands in her lap.

 

"So, you want to menace the man who is dating the boy you like?" he asks.  
"It's not against the rules, is it?" Roxanne asks.  
"No, no, no." he assures her. "I just want your motive to be clear so that we at the Guild can help you best realize your vision for success."

 

With a practiced hand, he helps her fill out the necessary paperwork to arch solo. Since she is still a minor, she will need a top guild member vouch for her. And what do you know, he just so happens to be one. All that remains is for him to see her in action and she will be good to arch. Have to make sure they are evenly matched, after all. Something that was proven to not be an issue at all. What did prove an issue were her parents grounding her for scaring them after her little stunt. She accepted it with grace and acted like everything was back to normal.

 

Nobody noticed or suspected anything different about her after her "fainting spell". Except for Dean. She overheard him talking to Hank about her. That she was somehow different but he didn't know how to explain it. Hank was too busy thinking about his "big" date with Sirena. She just rolled her eyes and went to her parents' lab. Nobody suspected a thing and she was not going to do anything to change that. School in the morning, homework and family time in the afternoon, arching at night then bed time. Everything was in perfect balance in her life.

 

She took special pleasure in hearing Mark complain about his new archenemy. At first, he couldn't be more excited because he thought it was a sign of legitimacy. He didn't know who his arch was, just that it was somebody going by the name Chimera. He didn't think that they would have any issue with such a gimicky name. Her taking his knee out leaving him with a limp changed that thinking. He took her seriously after that, even if he wasn't able to connect the dots of who his arch was at first.

 

Dean didn't believe she was a villain. She was a good kitty and would never do any of the awful things this Chimera did. Roxanne was with Dean when somebody covered his apartment's furnishing with cling wrap. And Roxx would never throw Frankenstein at him, even if it was the only weapon she had. Especially hard enough to break his nose. Her double life was lead without trouble or incident. Even with Brown Widow proclaiming her identity every chance he had. Until she met Stars n Garters.

 

She didn't think much about him. Just another hero type running around in a ridiculous outfit. He annoyed Brown Widow for some reason. Anything that bugged Brown Widow was good in her book. Right up until he started hassling her. She had Brown Widow cornered when Stars showed up. He picked her up by her scruff and started going on some big tangent about good triumphing over evil. It hurt getting held up like that. Hearing him drone on and on didn't improve matters. She focused her energy at his shield until it turned white hot. He dropped it on his food and dropped her too. Back on the ground, she fled on all fours. Not at all dignified for a supervillainess.

 

After that, she had another thing to deal with when it came to menacing Brown Widow. She made sure to send a subtle message to him. Taking special care to leave a strand or two of hair on Dean's bed where he would see it. Leaving Dean little notes in his coat or lunch pail that she knows he will show Brown Widow. Snuggling Dean a second or two longer then needed. She needs him to know she won't stand by and let him mistreat Dean in any way.

 

She ignores the pangs in her heart when she hears Dean talk about him. She wants him to be happy and if that means him being with somebody else, so be it. She expected this from the beginning. Him moving on to finding somebody more suitable for him then a cat girl with a silly crush since she was five. She thought it would be some "normal" person, but if Brown Widow makes him happy, she isn't one to judge.

 

Beating on Brown Widow serves as a kind of catharsis for her. A nice and healthy focus for her anger. She made sure never to hurt him more then needed. Part of her suspected it gave him a sense of legitimacy and that is why he never complained to the Guild about her. That or he actually enjoyed the consistency that was her arching. She still didn't trust him at all, but he did give her a good fight and never dragged Dean into it. He always made sure to keep the fight far from anywhere Dean could get caught in the crossfire. Sometimes Stars n Garters would swing by and try and "took his shot" as Brown Widow whined as she made her escape. Their mutual dislike of Stars n Garters made it almost fun finding new areas to "do battle".

 

She actually started to like him after some time. When he wasn't trying to show off and wasn't complaining how sore he was going to be in the morning. She told him to stretch before hopping straight into action. He never listened of course, the dork. She had to resort to telling Dean that Jared was looking worse for wear and let Dean do the rest. Next time they fought, he looked like a scolded puppy. But she felt pleased that he didn't complain about any soreness. Things were well for their "relationship" until Stars n Garter too offense. Why he took offense is beyond her, but he took offense. Maybe Brown Widow having a Guild sanctioned villain made him feel slighted somehow?

 

All she knows is one day they went to do what they did every Thursday. Trade barbs and insults and then fight until his watch beeps. He had to be at the ninja place he worked at by six so they made sure to finish up in time for him to get ready for his other job. While trading blows, she saw out of the corner of her eye a familiar auburn hoodie. Sitting at an outside table at a cafe. A shield whizzes in the air heading straight for him. She yelped, turning tail in mid air to catch it.

 

Brown Widow looked around, confused at her sudden change. Holding onto the shield, she sees the stripes and growls as she finds the one responsible. He comes out of the crowd, adopting a look of surprise. He leaps at her, swinging at her. She uses his shield to block his punches. Least Dean has the common sense to hide under a table away from the fight. Everybody else has jumped out of the way except for him. She sees a flash of brown swing into the cafe's outdoor area. She nods behind at the quivering boy but Brown Widow just isn't getting her hint.

 

"Dean, stupid!" she shouted. "Grab your damn boyfriend and get out of here before he sees an Article 7!"

 

She hopes that he buys that as actual Guild code. She has no idea what an Article 7 is but it sounds menacing and should be enough to get them out of here. Brown Widow slides beneath Stars n Garters and scoops up Dean. She swears she can hear him protesting, but what does he have to protest? He shoots a web and flees. She breathes a sigh of relief as she sees them disappear. Now she can focus on making sure Stars n Garters never pulls a stunt like this ever again. Getting between her and Brown Widow, she can live with. But endangering innocent lives, especially the life of Dean Venture? Not a chance. She bares her fangs at the blonde currently trying to yank the shield from her. She releases the shield and leaps up, freeing her wings as he smacks himself with his shield. Just the opened she needed, she is going to enjoy every last moment of this.

 

Hours later, she limps home. Her costume is hanging by a thin thread. She is almost certain her shoulder got dislocated by that shield. She is going to have to call the Guild and tell them about Stars n Garters. Tomorrow. Right now, she just wants to get a hot shower and go to bed before going to school tomorrow. Her boots are in her hands, along with what little remains of her mask. Her feet hurt too much to keep wearing the high heeled leather boots. The click, click, click of her nails on the concrete is soothing. Her leggings are beyond ruined, blood staining deep into her fur. Most of it not hers.

 

She is dreading the earful she will get from her parents. Approaching her home, she is in luck. She can see the lights are off, so she might be able to skip the lecture. Opening the door, she sees that nobody is up. She adjusts her stance, groaning in pain. One of her claws got broken off but tucking them in will save her more pain. Getting caught this close because of a varnished floor would end this night on a sour note. Her room is on the first floor. She wouldn't have been able to manage stairs in her condition. Her room is only around the corner of the first hallway. She unlocks her room and slips in. She closes the door behind herself and leans against it. Her ears twitch. She didn't leave her window open, did she?

 

Reaching out, she finds the light switch and clicks it on. Sitting on her bed is Dean and on her book shelf is Brown Widow, unmasked. They have been waiting a while, she can tell that much for sure. Looking back, she guesses they snuck in through the window. No way her parents would give them access to her room, not without her permission. She drops her boots onto the carpet. Dean crosses his arms.

"We need to talk," he says.


	2. Setting Webs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uneasy truces are made.

It's quiet in the pink room. Her eyes refuse to lock on either of them and she refuses to speak. There is nothing to talk about. Not now, not ever. This is how she is dealing with things. She leans against her door, eyes on carpet her best move right now. They can't stick around forever. She hears one of them approach her and place their hands on her shoulders. A cautious sniff reveals it to be Dean and she sighs. She looks up from the carpet, locking her eyes onto his hazel ones.

"Roxx, you have to tell us what is going on," Dean says quietly. "We're worried about you."

"No you aren't," she spits out. "You just feel guilty. And he doesn't care either way about me and is only pretending to care because he's your stupid spider boyfriend who can't even do his super hero job right. "

The quiet room somehow gets quieter. She shakes his hands off her shoulders and turns to face the door so he can't see her tears start to fall. She knows she hasn't fooled anybody. She isn't over Dean and if after eight weeks of beating the snot out of Brown Widow hasn't fixed it, then nothing will. She hears them talk in whispers, Dean clearly upset with Jared. Guess Mr. Perfect isn't so perfect. There is no way it just "slipped" his mind. It isn't every day your arch nearly gets killed, now is it? She lays her face against the door, relieving that night as she has since it happened.

She stumbles in through the window, landing on the floor with a weak thump. She whimpers in pain, but she’s safe now. He can’t get her here. He wouldn’t dare. He wouldn’t cross Wide Whale. He knows better, right? She has to believe he does. She hears the occupant stir from his bed. Light floods the room and her grateful sigh turns into broken sobs of relief. She sees the scattered clothes on the floor and can't believe her luck.

Hank stumbles out of his bed, eager to help. Her arm is hanging at a painful angle and she knows she is bleeding from easily a half dozen wounds from the shield of Stars N Garters. She looks at him with wide scared eyes as she falls to her knees, adrenaline wearing off. Hank takes the initiative, leading her to his bathroom to get cleaned up. He helps her out of the tattered remains of her outfit, averting his eyes when she gets to her panties and bra. He grabs her a robe to “preserve her dignity”. She’d laugh if she could. Her dignity is something she left four blocks over.

He bites his lip when he looks at her arm. She braces herself. She bites her hand to keep from screaming as he yanks it back into socket. It takes him a few tries but he gets it. She pants, burying her face in his chest for comfort. He wraps his arms around her, letting her cry it out. Hank pets her hair while making soft shushing noises. She knows her hair is greasy with sweat and blood, wig long gone.

All cried out, she frees herself from his grasp. She feels a moment of fluster at undressing in front of him. It's not like he didn't turn around so she could slip into the shower, but still. The heated water feels good on her aching body and she purrs, forgetting her trepidation. She stands in the spray, letting the night’s grime wash off her. Only two bottles of gel sit in his shower. One body wash, the other a combination shampoo/conditioner. She squeezes a generous amount of the body wash into her hand and scrubs her fur free of the filth.

“Are you going to tell me what is going on?” Hank asks.

Looking at the lather slowly covering her body, it would be so easy to pretend she can’t hear him over the shower. Act too tired to explain and slip out before he has a chance to ask again. But it's Hank. If there is anybody who can keep a secret, it's Hank. And he has been nothing but nice to her since he found out she is a super villain.

“Brown Widow tried to kill me tonight,” she says, voice cracking. “Him and that Stars N Garters guy. Tosh, maybe?”

Roxx hears him stammer in confusion, and she resumes cleaning herself. The air fills with the scent of the body wash as she scrubs, but it doesn’t do anything to soothe the sting in her heart. How could he do that to her? They were even trading witty banter and talking about plays they have seen while in New York. Then Stars N Garters swung his shield at her out of nowhere. She managed to escape, but only just.

She finishes her shower and goes home in a Ventech robe with her ruined clothes in a bag. Hank knew to stay quiet about what happened and act like nothing strange happened that night. Roxx did her best to act like it was business as usual next time she arched Brown Widow. For a while, it was. Then this happened. Stars N Garters came back to finish the job. She still doesn't know why she was targeted, and she may never know. Protags rarely share with antags like her. She didn't suspect Brown Widow of being involved, but she never could rule it out. Him not telling Dean about that night heightens her suspicions.

 

Roxx hears a commotion come from behind and looks, returning to reality. Brown Widow leaves out the window, shooed away by Dean. She heard that ominous "Not done" whispered by Dean to Brown Widow. She'd smile if she wasn't so tired. She hears him clear his through and turns to look at him. He places a hand on her furred cheek and she resists the temptation to rub against his hand. Instead, she keeps her eyes on his face.

 

"Roxx," Dean starts. "Jared isn't my boyfriend. He's just a really good friend."

 

Roxx can't help the harsh bark like noise she makes. Right. Good friends end up naked in each other's rooms for no reason at all the time. They totally sneak off to "hang out" all the time. She crosses her arms and tries to look severe. Roxx can practically hear the gears in Dean's head hard at work to explain himself. She is too tired to think it through and slips by him without a word.

 

Roxx strips the ruined outfit off her body. Another costume destroyed because of Stars N Garters. She gets into a soft night gown with some difficulty. Sighing, it's clear she is going to be twice as sore in the morning. She looks back and can't help tilt her head in confusion. Dean's cheeks are flushed red and he looks flustered now. Why did he turn away from her, ears bright red?

 

Roxx shakes her mind free of such insane thoughts. Dean likes them leggy, dark haired and not at all Guild affiliated. That is three strikes against her already and she hasn't even gotten to her species. She gets into her bed, getting under the sheets. She is being rude, she knows. Pretending to go to sleep so she doesn't have to listen to Dean scold her. It's worked before and she hopes it works again.

 

No such luck. Dean sits on the edge of her bed, sighing heavily as he leans on his legs. She tries to ignore his presence but can't. She can feel him shaking the bed slightly, his leg twitching like it does when he is nervous. She turns over, facing his back against her better judgment. She can see his whole body shaking, and she is afraid it's not because of his leg.

 

"What went wrong, Roxx?" Dean asks, voice cracking. "Was it something I did? Is that why you turned evil?"

 

Roxx jolts straight up. He thinks she joined the Guild because of something he did? She joined to PROTECT him, sure. But it wasn't like that was her only reason. She's a lab experiment, what career options are out there? She can't hide her freakiness with makeup and a wig like her Dad can. She grabs his hand, leaning over so she can see his face. The tears aren't falling but they are threatening to.

 

"Dean, that's not it at all!" Roxx proclaims. "I joined because St. Cloud tried to kill my parents and the OSI refused to help. That Spanakopita trip from a while back, remember?"

 

Roxx sees Dean's eyes dart to his hand being held by her fuzzy hand. She doesn't have the heart to tell him she left villainy only to return because of his totally not boyfriend. Her cheeks flush at the intimate touch and she lets him go. His hand goes into his lap limply. She has to be more tired than she thought she was. Thinking she has a chance with Dean.

 

"Can we talk about this tomorrow, please?" she pleads.

 

Dean looks at her and relents as Roxx lays back down. She thinks he is going to go out the window and leave her in peace so she can sleep. Instead, she hears the tell tale sound of him opening her closet door. She peeks up and sees him grabbing two spare pink blankets and a fluffy Hello Kitty pillow. Roxx watches as he sets the blankets down with the pillow. He lays down in the make shift sleeping bag.

 

"What are you doing?" Roxx asks.  
"Staying the night," he states simply.  
"What?" she sputters. "How am I going to explain this to my parents? Or my grandparents? They don't know I'm a super villain. Or that I am arching Jared or...Any of this. They think I only work part time at a normal coffee shop, Dean. This is a bad idea. You should go home before one of them catches you..."  
"I'm staying right here," Dean declares from the floor.

 

Leaning over her bed, she can see how determined he is and sighs. Of all the times for him to be stubborn, it had to be today. Oh well, it's only a night. Tomorrow, they will part ways after he realizes there is no changing her mind. It's not the worst thing to happen tonight, having Dean in her room for a night. It's kind of nice, really. She can almost pretend it's like the old times when they would spend the night with one another when one of their parents was kidnapped. She would wake in his arms and feel so safe even though she knew he was more fragile then she. The temptation to invite him off the hard floor and into her soft bed is crushed by the sudden opening of her door.

 

Roxx perks up and gasps. Standing in her door way is her Father. Clearly back from a long night at the lab, he came to check on her. She didn't think he would be back until later. His singular eye is squinted in disapproval at the boy on her floor.

 

"I can explain, Father," she starts.

 

Roxx takes a step forward and tumbles over Dean. She yelps and falls on top of him. He catches her and holds her in his lap with a sheepish grin. She tries to act natural, like this happens a lot.

 

"As I was saying," Roxx begins again. "Dean happened to be in the neighborhood and we haven't had any time to hang out since he started college. I invited him over. Nobody was up and I didn't think anybody would mind him staying the night. You don't mind, do you?"

 

After waiting what felt like an eternity, he shakes his head and leaves without a complaint. He clicks the light off for her. Her cheeks turn red as she hears him mutter about wanting prior notice before her boyfriend drops by as he closes the door. She gets into her bed after crawling over Dean and lays back in her bed.

 

"Tomorrow, we figure out what is going on," Roxx declares.

 

She hears Dean make a noise of agreement before yawning. She hears him turn and his breathing evening out. Her heart skips a beat. She turns out the lone lamp left on and turns to the wall away from the source of her heart's arrhythmic pattern. Tomorrow, they'll get to the bottom of this whatever it is and everything will go back to normal.

 

First thing bright and early, Dean arose and prepared to visit Jared. Roxx was still asleep and she should remain that way until at least noon. Dean can't recall a single Saturday where she was up before noon without having something planned. And according to her calendar, she has noting planned. He knows it's sneaky to go talk to Jared without Roxx. But Jared is his friend and he said it would be better to go as a friend to get to the bottom of this.

 

It was clear to Dean that Jared wasn't expecting company this early. He was still in his pajamas when he answered the door. Dean couldn't help smirk at how disheveled Jared looks. Dean knows he is one of tew people to see Jared like this. A cup of coffee and a bagel in his hands, he ushers Dean into his bed room without a word. Dean barely waits for the door to close behind them before launching to the heart of the problem.

 

"Why didn't you tell me about what happened with you and Roxx?" Dean asks.  
"It's because I choked," Jared says, too early to lie.  
"What?" Dean stammers.

 

Jared puts his cup of coffee on his night stand. Dean has gotten pretty good at telling other's emotions, he can tell Jared is more mad at himself then anything else. Dean stays close to the closed door but within Jared's range of vision. Keeping a good distance has kept Dean safe more often then not. He waits for Jared to finish his bagel. He knows that Jared will explain himself after finishing at least some of his make shift breakfast. Once he thinks about it, Jared eats a bagel and drinks a cup of coffee for breakfast every day.

 

"I froze, all right?" Jared says. "I wasn't expecting him to show up, let alone start beating up a little girl without provocation. I just froze and didn't do anything to stop him. I could have, but I didn't. She could have died and I did nothing to stop it."

 

"Now you have a chance to make up for it," Dean proclaims. "Use your spider connections to find out if their is a reason for him to mess with Roxx."

 

"I'll do my best," Jared says. "I'm not exactly a high ranking hero."  
"Why don't you just ask OSI?" Dean asks. "They should have a file or something on him."

 

Dean crosses his arms, pouting slightly as Jared rolls his eyes at him. Gathering information is mystery solving 101 and this is a mystery. Dean leaves before Jared's aunt wakes up. He knows his face has been in the paper because of pop's business dealings. He just hopes that she doesn't judge him for what his pop or his brother has been doing lately.

 

Dean heads out, having his morning free for once. It's a nice and sunny day, so he heads to a nearby park. Pigeons flock around an old woman with a bag of crumbs. A squirrel comes up to him, sniffing his hand before joining the crowd of pigeons for crumbs. Dean has always liked animals. He'd never been able to keep a pet for long though. They either ran away or died, or he died. Maybe he will be able to have one now. Maybe he can get something small after things quiet down a bit.

 

Speaking of quieting down, he looks at his watch and realizes that Roxx will be up any minute. Him just up and disappearing won't go over well so he runs back to her place. Dean dashes back to Roxx's place. By the time he hears Roxanne getting out of her bed room, he is sitting at the kitchen table with a few slices of peanut butter slathered toast and a tall glass of orange juice. Roxx's eye brow raises and he knows that he is not fooling her for a nanosecond. Their is a note from her parents and one from her grandparents saying they will be out today.

 

Roxx gets her breakfast cooked. Scrambled eggs and a tidy stack of sausage links, a breakfast she used to make for him before he became a vegetarian. Roxx keeps her eyes fixed on her plate, giving him the cold shoulder. He acts like it doesn't bother him even though it really does. She has been acting odd for weeks and it's getting on his nerves. They were friends for as long as he can remember. She was a ray of normalcy in his otherwise crazy life. Even though she is a cat girl. Always bringing him treats and books and just palling around with him.

 

They were thick as thieves as Brock, or more likely, Hatred would proclaim. Then it was like he was a stranger to her. No, worse then that. Like a bitter enemy she refuses to acknowledge. Dean puts down his toast, sighing internally. How did things get so strained between them? He wants things to be how they was, and the first step is being open. If those self help books pop kept "helpfully" leaving around the house are to be believed.

 

"I went to Jared's this morning," Dean says.  
"I could smell him," she responds, eyes still on her plate. "What did you two talk about?"  
"Why he didn't help you," Dean answers. "He froze."

 

"Heroes freeze, people die," Roxx spits out, clearly not buying it. "Villains freeze, they die."  
"Jared's trying to help," Dean responds, feeling oddly defensive. "He's going to find out why Stars N Garters attacked you. Then we can be friends again."

 

Dean waits for her to say something. She goes back to her breakfast, chewing on sausage with determination. Ignoring him, again. He returns to his toast, the kitchen silent except for the sounds of the two teens eating their respective breakfasts. The silence is stifling. Dean isn't used to eating with so much quiet. He resists the urge to tap his fingers on the table as he eats.

 

Dean is about to ask Roxx what her plans are when the door bell rings. He leaps up, proclaiming he'll get it. He sees her eyes widen in surprise as he leaves to answer the door. Anything to get out of that awkward situation. He opens the door and sees Jared has swung by. By the sight of the webbing clinging to his shirt, quite literally. He has a folder with an OSI emblem on it tucked under his arm, along with a bright and glittery pink bag. Dean ushers him in, grateful for the distraction.

 

"What's in the bag?" Dean asks.  
"Uh, " Jared says as he lifts it up so Dean can look into it. "Some things I think Roxanne would like. To make up for earlier. Maybe make her realize I am not the enemy here?"

 

Jared mumbles an explanation on how he was able to gather the gifts so quickly and Dean almost chuckles at how sheepish Jared looks. He was already planning on giving her the bag for their six month "Archiversary" and thought giving the bag to her earlier would help smooth things over. Dean leads Jared to the kitchen, bemused. Who would have thought the spider themed hero was a sentimental sort?

 

Dean can see candies and a doll sticking out of the bag and knows a good deal of though was put into it. Roxanne's ears instantly perk up as they enter, nose sniffling wildly. Her plate is empty, having finished her breakfast while he was with Jared. Her ears relax, resigned, aware Jared is already here. Jared comes in, peering in cautiously. Roxx waves him in, tolerating his presence but only just. He smartly doesn't sit at the table, staying close to the door. Dean presents the bag to Roxx and she rolls her eyes. But she doesn't knock the bag to the floor and she isn't able to hide that hint of curiosity in her eyes. A good sign if there is to be any.

 

Dean slides back into his chair and does his best to act like he isn't nervous over her reaction to the bag. He doesn't need to look to know Jared is fidgeting, not liking this situation at all. Roxx opens the bag, the cheap plastic coating crinkling as she investigates the contents. She looks over at Jared, disbelief on her face. He shrugs, not saying anything as she pulls the contents out one by one. Packs of cherry Redvines, and strawberry taffy things, and a doll with bright pink hair and black cat ears. In the bottom of the bag are oversized socks, "spooky" webs design all over them.

 

Roxx looks at Jared and rolls her eyes as she shakes her head. The gifts are silly, Dean has to give her that much. But Cherry Red vines are one of her favorite candies and she loves socks that fit her fit comfortably. Jared's trying his best to make things better. Or trying really hard to keep Roxanne from flushing his cigarettes again.

 

Jared hands the folder to Dean without a word, not able to make eye contact with Roxx. He should get over that soon. Dean spreads the folder's contents out onto the kitchen table. The folder is all about Stars N Garters, official OSI seals stamped on each page. The file covers his entire career from beginning to now. Dean is impressed at how quickly Jared was able to get a hold of this folder.

 

Roxx mutters a begrudging thank you to Jared before turning her attention to the folder. Roxx grabs a few pages from the folder as he looks over the section on CAL. The section is sparse, but that is to be expected. It's a relatively new group, from what OSI can gather. No strong Guild ties that they have found. Some ties to Wide Wale, not that that surprises Dean. Biggest villainous king pin in New York, small vigilante group in the same place, it makes sense.

 

Dean grabs a piece of his toast, just to have something in his hands. Roxx doesn't seem to be having much more luck with her section and tosses it on the table, frustrated. Jared joins in, grabbing a couple of sheets from the bottom of the pile and brings them to the top. A complete list of every disciplinary action taken against Stars N Garters.

 

Dean isn't able to find a common theme with the reprimands. Stars has committed every minor offense one can think of. From failing to file paperwork to talking back to superiors to refusing to help an old lady cross the street. Nothing more serious then roughing up a civilian who had too much to drink. Dean can't see how why Stars would escalate from minor offenses to attacking somebody else's arch enemy. 

 

Roxx gets up, putting hers and Dean's plate into the sink. She turns back to the table. She grabs her gifts and puts them back in the pink bag. She looks over at Jared and manages a thankful smile. Dean gathers the folder's contents and works on putting it back in it's correct order. Roxx excuses herself, going back to her room. Jared manages a grin at Dean as he sits at the table with him. It's not a permanent fix, but as long as they give each other plenty of space, Dean can't see how they can't get back to how things were before.

 

A high pitched shriek comes from Roxx's room and Dean and Jared jump out of their chairs and dash towards her room. Dean gets their first, knowing the place better then Jared. The door is open and Roxx hides her face in his chest the second she saw him. Dean grabs the back of her head, looking for the source of her terror.

 

On her bed is a destroyed cat. He hears Jared mutter under his breath at the sight before closer to investigate. Dean and Jared breath a sigh of relief as they discover it's not a real cat, just a plush cat torn and smeared with a red sauce. Marinara from the looks of it. Dean looks down at the cowering cat girl in his arms as Jared looks on.

 

"I have to call pop," Dean declares.


	3. Mending Webs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Action picks up as does tension.

Roxx is pacing to and fro in the room. From one corner to the next. Dean and Jared are in their sides of the room, watching with growing concern. The room the three of them are being guarded in isn't small in any sense of the word. It's one of the largest civilian rooms OSI has, in fact. Guards are outside, respecting their privacy. But Roxx feels cramped. Like there is not enough air for her to breath or nearly enough room to move freely. 

 

She knows it's not a space problem. It's a people problem. She is clearly the odd one out here. A super villain with indisputable ties to the Guild. A cat girl science experiment that catches looks wherever she goes. And not in a good way. What is the point in having her here too? She is a certified Guild member. A low leveled one and probably out of desperation because of so many villains jumping ship, but still. Not in any tangible way associated with OSI. 

 

Roxx knows she is over reacting. That being in the OSI building is no big deal, even with her current room mates. But she can't stand watching Jared touch Dean so casually. It's nothing obscene. Just little shoulder touches while studying. Fingers lingering a second too long when handing a pencil. Standing a touch too close when looking over his work. 

 

Dean has never been interested in anybody not dark and tall and smart. But Jared is all three of those, in spades. Jared has a better chance then she has ever had, she has to admit. Stepping aside is the smart and mature thing to do. Let Dean be happy, no matter what or who it is with. Leave, don't turn back. Let him go. And yet, she keeps pacing around, staying in the confining room with the sources of her pain. She still can't shake her need to please. And she was told to stay put while they handled the problem. 

 

It's been three days since Dean's call to his pop that lead them here under OSI protection. His pop and his brother are in different rooms, next door she believes. every once and awhile she hears music or Rusty talking to himself. They were put in a single room as a safety measure. Easier to protect three people in a single room then three people spread over three rooms. 

 

A stupid maneuver, pure OSI in every way. It would one lucky shot to kill all three of them. Even the lowliest of Guild grunts would know that. Spreading the targets would have minimized the dangers presented. She knows Brock would never have signed off on something so stupid. Jared is the first to speak. He clears his throat, putting a stop to Roxx's pacing and Dean's nervous tapping. 

 

"We are going to be here awhile," Jared states. Roxx rolls her eyes before he continues. "I think we should find something to do before we all go crazy."  
"You mean go over the file again?" Roxx says." And try and find out where Garters is, again?"

"Not like you've got a better plan," Jared says, crossing his arms.  
"You mean besides leave and get answers?" Roxx retorts. "Yeah, got nothing better then that."

 

Roxx steps up to Jared, tail flicking back and forth. He may be two feet taller and probably twice her weight, but she isn't going to let that stop her. She isn't afraid of him or his spider powers. Cats eat spiders all the time, and she is definitely not above breaking a few legs. She sees a flicker of surprise in his eyes and smirks as she cracks her claws. She knows she is nowhere near menacing with her cream fur and tiny stature, but it's a start.

 

"Guys," Dean says as he stands between the two. "We have to work together."  
"I don't have to do anything," Roxx hisses.

 

Roxx ducks under Dean's arm. She almost forgot he was there as well. Seeing the look Dean is giving Jared is too much for her. She powers her way through the lone guard standing at the door. A small cat girl would go unnoticed in a place like here. Only upside to this place. Any freak can just walk out the door and nobody would bat an eye. 

 

Roxx ruffles her pink hair as soon as she gets out of the building, breathing in the fresh unfiltered air. She can smell pine trees and rich soil. The sounds of animals in the woods nearby greet her, but are not her interest. Her interests are less rural. Taking deep wafts of the air, she hones in on a scent. A scent that has does not belong anywhere near here.

 

Roxx tracks the scent back to town, secretly glad that OSI has a base close to New York now. It's not a large one, just an abandoned barn out in the woods bordering Vermont. She thinks it's Vermont because of a bear company they passed getting here and how everything smells sticky like pancake syrup. It's not important. What is important is the scent she is following.

 

It's a very long shot, she knows. Could just be a random OSI grunt who happened to be carrying metal that matches the smell of Garters shield. But it's her best shot for getting to the bottom of this. She keeps her ears open and eyes wide as she follows the scent to a....news station? She wasn't expecting that. But it makes sense, in a way. What better place for a so called hero to be then a place where information passes through freely and endlessly? 

 

Roxx tries to gather her nerves to enter the building. She wasn't hopeful she would find answers, and she is so close to them, and she is suddenly nervous. She has gotten this far, she is only a small handful of steps away from maybe getting answers. She reaches to open the door when it swings open. Standing in the door way is a tall woman with dark flowing hair and stern glasses. Roxx can't help but stare. She looks familiar in a way. Like she should know who this person is. But she doesn't, not even a little bit. The woman straightens her shawl, looking at Roxx curiously. Roxx picks a twig from her hair, suddenly wilting under the woman's stern gaze.

 

"You're that cat girl that hangs out with the Ventures, aren't you?" she asks.

 

Roxx nods. A look of pity crosses the woman's face. That is how Roxx reads it, anyway. Could be curiosity. Those two tend to be interchangeable with her and other people. The woman smiles and Roxx can't help smile back. Roxx sniffs the air and catches the scent of peculiar metal once more. It's coming from this woman. But why? The sun gleams off the woman's hair like it's a golden lasso or something. Her eyes widen and it dawns on her who this is. This is Warriana, Mr. Samson's maybe kind of sort of girlfriend. Looking at her, it's so obvious that that is who this is.

 

"You're Warriana," Roxx says in amazement. "That means you must know what Stars N Garters is plotting as we speak."

 

She raises her eye brow at Roxx's declaration. Warriana crosses her arms and her demeanor changes from open to on the defensive. Roxx resists the urge to cower at the powerful glare Warriana is shooting her way. She is used to people trying to intimidate her. It's not going to work, she isn't going to let it. She is on a mission. She puts her hands on her hips and doesn't back down for a moment. All her righteous rage is focused into her glare as she stares at Warriana just as intensely. Warriana backs down first, throwing her head back as she laughs. Roxx pouts but doesn't move.

 

"Feisty one, aren't you?" Warriana states, still chuckling. "I do not know what Stars N Garters is up to. He has been shirking his responsibilities to CAL."

"That like him?" Roxx asks, curious.

"Nay," Warriana says. "He's usually the one telling us to work harder, and to show up at more meetings. But he hasn't been attending as well."

"And you guys aren't responsible for menacing Brown Widow's arch enemy?" Roxx asks, having to ask for the sake of asking it.

"Of course not," Warriana laughs. "CAL has more important matters then some low level puss."

 

Roxx ignores the biting remark, somewhat grateful that her secret identity is still secret. She knows that she has a long way to go before becoming a legendary super villain. She thanks her for her time, turning tail back to the OSI base. As much as she loathes the place, she needs to inform Jared and Dean that CAL is not responsible for Stars N Garters' actions. It's some kind of information that might help. Sniffing her way back, she heads back to the loathsome building of incompetence.

 

Back at OSI, Jared has taken over Roxx's pacing. Dean is sitting cross legged on what was Roxx's bed. He is flipping through her diary, brow furrowed as he tries to decipher her looping hand writing. Dean feels dirty looking through her diary but it's the only clue where she might be they have. He sees his name written in the margins with small hearts on a few of the pages, absent doodling surely. He feels a strange feeling in his stomach, like he ate a toasted marshmallow straight out of the fire.

 

Roxx could be in danger right now, there is no time for an upset stomach. Nobody at OSI has been able to find any trace of Stars N Garters, if they are even looking. Who knows what he is up to right now? Looking through the frilly pink diary didn't offer them any clues where she went. She isn't with her grandparents and his brother hasn't seen her since they got here.

 

Dean closes the diary, the second half blank. He puts it back in her pillow case, straightening the sheets as much as he can. He knows if....WHEN Roxx gets back she will smell him on her sheets. Maybe if he removes them and has the guard bring new ones, that could explain it? But then she will know for sure he saw her diary. Making a choice, he tugs the sheets free of the bed, choosing the lesser of two evils. Maybe he can play it off better this way.

 

Dean tosses the sheets at the door. Jared stops his pacing, spider senses giving him the edge to duck the tossed sheets. He manages to catch them before they hit the ground and he looks at Dean curiously. Dean doesn't look up, but he can feel Jared's gaze drilling into him. He knows Jared is on edge not just because Roxx is missing.

 

Dean has tried to get Jared to quit smoking multiple times. No incentive can get him to stop the habit he proclaims to have had since he was a teen. And "visitors" aren't allowed to smoke, OSI safety policy. He puts the diary on the small stand provided for Roxx's personal things as he strips the bed to the bare mattress and pillow. Jared crumples up the used sheets and strikes up a conversation with the guard as he hands them over. 

 

New sheets are given and Dean handles redressing the bed. The sheets are a faint lilac colour and he hopes Roxx likes them. He is grateful the OSI has coloured sheets instead of drab white sheets. Already way too much like prison here. He finishes dressing the bed, tucking the book in the case like it was in the old one. He sees Jared has not moved from the doorway, his arms crossed. 

 

"What?" Dean asks, patience giving out.  
"Roxanne is my arch enemy," Jared says.

"Okay," Dean says, confused at what angle Jared is going for.  
"I know you like her," Jared says. "But we need to accept the possibility that she has gone to seek outside support. Of a Guild nature."

"Like who?" Dean asks.  
"Wide Wale, perchance?" Jared says.

 

Dean looks at Jared, can't believing he is serious. But he is. Dean tries to think of what Roxanne could possibly over the whale themed villain and can only think of one thing she has that could be of interest to him. But never in a million years would she do that.

 

"She wouldn't," Dean states. "Only thing she has to offer is Hank and she would never give him up. Not for anything. He's her best friend."  
"You don't know that Dean," Jared says. "Roxanne is a villain. She isn't the cat girl you grew up with."  
Dean gestures at the pillow where the diary is hidden before proclaiming, "She is the same Roxxy I know. She'd never do that, never!"

 

Almost as if on cue, the guards scramble as the front door alarm sounds, somebody entering without a clearance card. Dean and Jared both lean out the door, trying to see who is causing the commotion. Neither are able to see over the crowd of guards, wandering in to see what the commotion is. Colonel Gathers comes and parts the crowd, barking out orders. The crowd parts like the Red Sea and there stands Roxxy, sheepish grin on her face. Dean beams and dashes out of the room, glad to see she is safe. He ducks past the crowd and picks up the small cat girl in a tight hug. 

 

Roxx meows in confusion at the embrace. Dean releases her, and she feels her cheeks flare. He was just showing his appreciation she was safe, that's all. Just how Dean is. Always the more sensitive Venture brother and more likely to over react to everything. Nothing to read into. He isn't able to make eye contact with her and Jared is standing apart from the crowd, looking at her intently. A look that makes her vaguely almost kind of uncomfortable in an not all the way unpleasant way.

 

Anannoyed growl catches her attention. Looking over, she can see Gathers has arrived. After the Black Hearts and SPHINX switchover, she isn't sure how to refer to the colonel. Nobody has corrected her when she called him he, so until she is corrected, she will continue doing that. She steps in front of him. She can't see his eyes past the hat and sunglasses, but she can tell he is grumpy at her "escape".

 

Roxx braces for the chewing out he no doubt has been building up since she left. With a wave of his hand, the room empties . Dean takes a step towards Jared, not to her surprise. She straightens her postures, gritting her teeth as Gathers starts tearing into her. Security risks, wasted man hours, the whole spiel was nothing new to her. She's heard the same complaints from Hatred, just less organized and directed at Hank. She knows she should be scared, whimpering, promising to never do it again.

 

But she's lived through scarier then Gathers. St. Cloud trying to kill her parents or an angry old codger of a man she has her pick sorted. She knows that Gathers has the abilities to "take care" of her. But he won't lay a finger on her fuzzyy head, that is a fact. Messing with the Guild with the Sovereign and all his mysteries currently MIA, he wouldn't do anything that could bring him out of hiding. No matter how bad he wants to know those secrets.

 

Course, she figures with how the Guild has been getting run lately, the rumors of Sovereign's demise by an unknown assailant (or possibly even the Investors?) might not be as exaggerated as she first thought. Not that she is going to let the OSI in on that little secret. What reason does she have to help them, after all? After all the lack of help she has gotten from them, it serves them right.

 

After what feels like an eternity, he dismisses the hapless trio back to their room with a snarl, security doubled with warnings to not let any of them leave without a chaperone. Obviously. She sits on her bed, mouth screwed into a scowl as she sees the pale purple sheets. Kneading her pillow, she doesn't have to look to know that her diary was flipped through. She sighs internally at the invasion of privacy. Typical hero antics. Invading privacy and claiming goodness. Makes her feels so much better about going out and looking for answers on her own if they couldn't trust her and flipped through her private diary. She wishes that it didn’t hurt that Dean did that.

 

She puts her hands in her lap and looks at the two "Spider dweebs" as Dermott calls them. Dean still can't make eye contact with her, gazing at Jared instead. She chooses to ignore it for now. More important things then what Dean may or may not have discovered in her diary. Not like it matters. She can always deny whatever he thought he saw if she must. Not like he can read her handwriting, as he has proven many times over. 

 

"I know you think I was off conferring with the Guild or whatever," she starts, not addressing either directly. "I actually found out some information that might be interesting."

 

She notes the huff of disbelief from Jared and ignores it for now. Course he doesn't believe her, she's his arch enemy. Dean lifts his eyes for a moment, green locking onto blue for a moment before going to the floor once more. She takes a deep breath.

 

"I ran into Warriana," she says. "And Garters' actions against us are not sanctioned by CAL."  
"What does that mean for us?" Dean asks.

 

"It means that Garters is hiding what he is doing from his own group," she answers. "He is on his own, doing what he is doing. He might be working with Wide Wale or somebody like that to menace us. I don't know why, but I think it has to do with Jared."

 

"Why me?" Jared interjects.

 

"Because you are the only common link between Garters and I," Roxx says. "Unless you have a better idea, I think he really, REALLY doesn't like you and wants to make you suffer for some reason. "

 

She looks up at him, doing her best not to roll her eyes. It's really obvious how much Tosh hates Jared. She could tell just by the way Garter's posture completely changed when Dean mentioned going to Jared's restaurant after school one time they were in the library at Dean's college. Well, Jared and Garter's too. The cold hate in his eyes stuck with her. She has the beginnings of a plan, she just needs to get the pieces together.

 

"Dean," Roxx asks, turning towards him. "Is Hank still dating Sirena?"


	4. Finding Webs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Actions are taken as motives are uncovered.

 

Roxx huffs to herself as she waits on her bed, legs crossed close. She pulls the borrowed brown jacket closer, for warmth. Not to soak in Dean's scent, that would just be weird. He saw her shivering and wouldn't take no for an answer. Even though it's a new coat, it has the signature scent of Dean all over it. It's a "Brother" thing, so she and Jared were left alone in the frigid room as Dean talked with Hank. She shivered, and tucks her feet underneath herself. Who turned off the heat, anyway? Probably Shoreleave. He never struck her as somebody who was competent in anything but guns and sass.

 

Roxx doesn't need to look over to know that Jared is glaring at her. She refuses to give him the satisfaction of being rattled by his tactics. Who does he think he is, anyway? They are in this place together, they need to WORK together. Glaring at each other won't figure out why Stars N Garters is threatening her. And by extension, him and Dean.

 

She takes off the coat, folding it in half before placing it on Dean's bed. It's just too weird having Jared glowering at her while wearing that coat. She goes back to her bed, and still Jared is scowling at her. She can hear his stomach faintly rumble. He crosses his arms, leaning back on the bed. While it is an improvement over glaring at her, ignoring her isn't all that good for camaraderie either.

 

Wanting to make peace, she opens her night stand and takes out a plain box. She managed to sneak in some "non-essentials" while the guards were busy bickering over some new regulation involving OSI approved weaponry. She opens the box, revealing soft pillows of marshmallow and creamy fluffy cookies encased in delicious milky chocolate. She remembers Dean saying how Jared ate a whole lot because of that webbing stuff.

 

Roxx lobs one of the pies across the room, the wrapped chocolate treat bouncing onto Jared's bed. It lands right in front of him, shiny black brown coating unbroken after it's launch. He looks at the treat on the bed and then over at her. Eyes still burning with distrust. She sighs to herself as she gets up from her bed. She leaves the box of Moon Pies on her bed and stands in front of the much older man still scowling at her.

 

"It's a peace offering," Roxx explains, trying to be nice. "I know we've had our rough patches, but I feel that we need to put it aside. For now, at least."

 

Jared rolls his eyes, pushing the treat aside as he turns away from her. She growls, lacking the patience for drama. Especially from moody college aged spider men. If anybody should acting like a child, it should be her. In fact...

 

She storms over to her bed and grabs another moon pie from her bed and lobs it at his head. He ducks right before it would hit, spider senses be damned, the pie splatting against the wall behind him. The pie sticks to the wall sadly, the sticky marshmallow oozing out of the plastic, stuck to the wall by the leaking filling.

 

"Feel better?" Jared snarks.  
"What is your problem?" Roxx asks, patience spent. "Don't say it's because I arch you. Plenty of people are friends with their arches. Can't we do the same?"

 

"No," Jared spits out.  
"Why not?" Roxx asks.  
"You know why," Jared says.

 

"No, no I don't," Roxx answers.  
"Don't lie to me," Jared proclaims. "You want to turn Dean evil."  
"What?" Roxx sputters. "No, that isn't what I want at all!"

 

"Dean may not be able to tell, but I can see that you love him," Jared growls. "Who knows how far you'd go to guarantee that? Maybe arch the competition and "accidentally" get them out of the running?"

 

Roxx feels her cheeks heat. The NERVE of some people. She crosses her arms, looking away from him. She tries to gather herself enough to answer coherently. She'd laugh at the ridiculous idea of Dean returning her feelings. But she knows to Jared that it is no laughing matter.

 

She would never cause Dean such harm, but Jared is never going to believe her. Not when he is thinking as emotionally as he is right now. She understands the want to protect somebody you love. Even if they don't return that love. She may have grown up with Dean, but he has never acted the same way around Jared as he does around her. He's way more chummy and...well, Dean with her. She was like a little sister to him. Hank calls her little sis all the time, why would Dean be any different?

 

Watching how Dean is with Jared is like a repeat with Triana, only it seems to be returned this time. As Jared's jealous reaction is anything to go by. How can Jared not see that Dean views him as more then "just" a friend? Dean may not realize it, but he does. Dean is nervous, flustered, trying way too hard to be taken seriously. Classic puppy love all the way.

 

She can read the signs crystal clear and knows she never had a chance. She should have learned after Thalia to move on from Dean, but she didn't. She should have just accepted Dean wanted out of the Venture life at all costs. That if any Venture was going to escape the life and have a normal go at things, it would be Dean. The boy who just wanted a normal life. Even his choice in partner, as "different" as he may be, blends in when the situation calls for it. A perfect fit in every sense of the word.

 

Just thinking about Jared and Dean having a happily ever after that she never will have fills her with indignation and causes her stomach to churn. Knowing she can't have that, no matter how hard she tries. Her tail is whipping wildly now. She considers keeping her mouth shut and being nice, but she is fresh out of nice with the spider jerk.

 

"Well, after this," she snaps. "Pretty sure the Guild are going to bump your threat level up and I won't be allowed to arch you anymore, so no more worrying about the mean little kitty corrupting 'your' Dean."  
"What do you mean?" he asks, still clueless.  
"You have been put under OSI protection," she explains. "That means you're important. Which means the Guild are going to take actual notice now. And they are not going to let a nobody arch a somebody."

 

Roxx crosses her arms defensively before going back to her bed. Why did she waste her time trying to be nice? He wasn't going to appreciate it, no matter how sincere she was. He refuses to give her a chance, just like any other super hero type. No wonder she "turned" evil. She puts the Moon pies back, no longer hungry. Thankfully, she doesn't have to stew for long as Dean returns.

 

"What's up?" she asks, concerned.  
"Well," Dean starts. "Wide Wale probably isn't involved."  
"How do you know?" Jared asks.

 

"He's been out of town all month dealing with "Guild" business and has left Rocco in charge," Dean states. "And Hank has kept him busy with his...Hank-nanigans."  
"What do you mean?" Jared asks.

 

"On his and Sirena's last date," Dean says. "They....silly stringed all of the motorbikes the sea lice have. And then covered the armory in that weird Gaak stuff for good measure. They are still trying to get it all cleaned up before Wide Wale returns."

"What about CAL?" Jared asks. "I've seen them go into Wide Wale's pizzeria."

 

"Just that Warriana asks about Brock a lot," Dean says. "He's seen the guy with the arrows drop off money to Wide Wale a few times, but he's super sneaky so he probably isn't involved. And that Dick guy is busy helping the helpless or something."

"What about Stars?" Jared asks.

"Hank hasn't seen him anywhere near Wide Wale," Dean answers, turning to face him. "And Sirena would have noticed. Well, her bodyguards would've noticed a tall blonde."

 

Roxx frowns at the information. If Garters isn't working with Wide Wale, then....how does he know where she lives? Let alone is able to sneak in and out without being detected? Only Guild members know her 'secret' identity, with Wide Wale being the newest Guild "leader", therefore most likely to go against policy and "clean" house. Her bottom lip wavers, ears flattening. What if...this is something worse then just a random hero targeting her?

 

"What do we do now?" Roxx asks, voice wavering.

 

Dean stiffens in attention, catching the slight wavering in her voice. He goes over to her bed and hugs her close, trying his best to assure her they'll find a way. Roxx freezes as she hears the low growl coming from Jared. She knows it's too quiet for Dean to hear and is for her ears only. His continued whispers of assurance tell her that much.

 

Roxx peers over Dean's shoulder and sees the jealousy glimmering in Jared's brown eyes. She never thought he was the jealous type but with Dean she guesses all bets are off. Dean releases her from the embrace, cheeks a faint red now. He clears his throat nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. He scoots a bit away from her, giving her much needed space as she clutches her feet closer.

 

"I guess," he says. "We see if OSI can handle him. He's actually like a villain, terrorizing somebody he isn't officially arching. They have to help."  
"Fat load of help they've been so far," Roxx grumbles, rolling her eyes.  
"We have to do something," Dean says, determined. "When they were living in my backyard, this is what they did all the time."  
"He's right," Jared states. "We need to try everything to keep us safe."

 

For Dean's sake, she avoids the dark glare Jared is shooting her way. She can handle Jared's jealousy, no sweat. It's unfounded, that much is for sure. Being jealous of her is like being jealous of a house cat. Sliding off the bed, she listens as Dean and Jared go over a plan on how to approach Gathers. Unlike those two, she read the file of Gathers the Guild has amassed over the years. The terms "Stubborn goat" and "Completely impossible" come to mind.

 

Nobody in the Guild has been able to work out anything resembling an alliance with Gathers since he took over. The closet anybody has gotten was they got him to agree to stop killing undercover agents if Guild stopped sending them. She doubts that Jared and Dean will have any better luck. But if it makes the two feel useful, she won't stand in the way. Who knows? Maybe being "super hero types" and family to his best agent will work in their favor.

 

Thinking about how Gathers always worked within his own skills and connections gives her an idea. Roxx isn't sure it would even work, but it is worth a shot if Gathers falls through, as she figures he will. Which she suspects is going to be the case. She knows Dean won't approve, not even a small amount. But sometimes, you have to do what is right, not what makes people happy.

 

Dean gets her attention and the trio go to the guard, united front and all that. Using all his bravado, Jared convinces the guard to escort them to Gathers. He looks up and scowls as he hangs up the phone. Great start already. The older man leans back, biting the end of his cigarette holder, the click of metal on teeth noticeable. Jared steps forward, egged on by the two youngsters. He is the eldest and most distinguished, after all. He takes a moment to scowl at them childishly before turning to face Gathers.

 

"Sir, we have reason to believe Stars N Garters is working independent of CAL," Jared says. "He is terrorizing Guild sanctioned persons, and he needs to be brought to justice."  
"Then that's a Guild problem," Gathers barks out. "OSI stays out of Guild business, Guild stays out of OSI business."'  
"But you have to help," Dean cries out.

 

"Let me explain how agencies work," Gathers says, biting on his holder. "I stay out of their ass, they stay out of mine.  Understand?"

 

"Called it," Roxx mutters to herself. "Complete waste of my time."  
"What was that missy?" Gathers asks, turning to face her.  
"I said," Roxx states. "I am going to handle this myself since your OSI operatives are too incompetent to do so."

 

Roxx knew that depending on OSI to help is a joke. They wouldn't even lift a finger to help her when her parents almost got killed by St. Cloud, why would she be a different case? The Guild has been leaps more helpful helping her. OSI only has at most three competent people, and they fired one of them because he wanted to be out in the field. Now he's a glorified rent-a-cop for Rusty Venture.

 

She knew that she has to depend on herself to solve her own problems. If that rubs OSI the wrong way, so what? Gathers is too chicken to risk an agency wide war. She is a Guild operative, through and through. This whole thing was a giant waste of time. With that in mind, she storms out, slamming the door behind her as Dean calls out to her.


	5. Destroying Webs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emotions are uncovered as action reaches a climax.

 

FUCK. Fuck fuck fuck fuck! Dean never swears, but he can’t stop himself. What was Roxx thinking? Was she even thinking? Just going out there, to face Garters on her own? He nearly killed her last time they fought, what does she think will happen now? Going in with zero preparation of any kind. Dean actually doesn't know what she is doing, but that is the most likely thing. He can't think of anything else she could possibly do at a time like this.

 

He is back in the room, Gathers having taken the opportunity to chew him and Jared out for wasting his time. Dean didn't hear a word the man said. Something about policy and not being responsible for Guild grunts' boneheadedness? Jared had to restrain him to keep him from running after Roxx. They eventually were lead back into the room, explicit orders to keep the two in there given to the guard, a pointed look shot his way.

 

When he saw the bare bedding, he felt his panic rise. She packed up her stuff, meticulously cleaned the area and left, meaning she is not coming back. She didn't even leave a note of any kind. Maybe she ...No, he can’t think that. She can't have just left like that. She wouldn't just abandon everything and leave, right? Not without telling Hank first. He feels faint, but he can’t pass out or freak out right now. He needs to keep a calm and rational mind about this.

 

“What?” Jared asks, looking at the now blank bed with an almost curious expression.  
“Roxx is gone and we have to help her!” Dean declares, freaking out.  
“Seems she can fend for herself,” Jared answers.  
“No she can’t, we have to,” Dean says.

 

Dean is trying to piece things together, trying to uncover some new detail in this mystery. Something he never thought to look at before but can help him figure out where or what Roxanne is doing. Nothing, as he sadly expected. The room is still cold and he wraps himself in the one brown coat he thought to grab. He renews his efforts, focusing on the bed Roxanne slept on for the last few days. If he is lucky, he will find some missed clue that will tell him where she went. He goes over and checks the bare bed, not finding even a forgotten pencil and groans in frustration.

 

“How much does Roxx mean to you?” Jared asks, continuing onward.  
“What kind of question is that?” Dean asks. “She’s my friend.”  
“What kind of friend?” Jared asks.

 

Dean groans, again, but with more annoyance to it. This is not helping the situation at all. What is Jared trying to get at this time? This is not the time for random questions leading to some random point. It's not like those plays he knows Jared acts in. Playing 20 questions with Hank guessing Batman each time, no matter how much he tells him it isn't Batman, isn’t as frustrating as this is right now. He doesn't have time for the circular questioning that Jared is way too good at. If he has something to say, he needs to just say it already.

 

“What are you trying to ask me?” Dean asks, losing his patience. “I don’t have time for this. WE don’t have time for this.”

 

Dean notices the look of contemplation on Jared face as he peels himself from the wall he was leaning upon. Dean sits on the edge of the bed, trying to calm down enough to figure out what to do next. Dean doesn't have time to think or say anything as Jared approaches him, hands clasped on his shoulders. His pulse is thundering in his ears at the heated look Jared is shooting his way. His heart stops and goes into overdrive as the mature man closes in and captures his lips.

 

Not once in Dean's memory has he been kissed like this. It made his whole face instantly warm and his palms tingle. He squeezes his palms against Jared's chest trying to ground himself, only adding to the addictive feeling coursing in his veins. How did he never notice how muscular feeling Jared's chest is? All the time swinging around the city and he never noticed until this moment. As quick as the kiss began, Jared pulls away, exhaling as Dean feels confusion cloud his already hectically racing mind. Dean gulps, processing what just happened. A faint hint of cinnamon and smoke is still on his lips. He touches his lips, still tingling.

 

“What?” Dean asks, dumbfounded.  
“I care about you,” Jared says, still shy. “Deeply. I hope you feel the same.”

 

Dean doesn’t process what he is saying at first. Then it hits him like a truck, making his whole body burn with want. But...He is so worried for Rox and now he wonders what if he...likes her like that too? A faint hint of strawberries lingers on his coat. He feels the heat coiling in his stomach, remembering how soft and nice she felt tucked under his arm. The heat dies as cold icy terror replaces it. Oh no. This is bad. So very bad. It’s like those books from the attic, only worse.

 

He doesn’t have time to think or anything. He has to save Rox, friend or not. He got her into this mess, he can’t just leave her to it. But she already made her choice and probably won‘t appreciate him disrespecting it so much. And he likes Jared. A lot now that he thinks about it. What a terrible time to realize something so wonderful. He is so confused and scared and this is not helping his predicament. He feels like he might start crying.

 

“You don’t have to say anything,” Jared says, noting the distress on Dean's face. “We need to save Roxx from her own boneheadedness. Then we can talk.”

 

“Thank you,” Dean says. “But how? We don’t even know where she is. Or what she is planning or anything.”

 

“She is probably confronting Tosh,” Jared says, thoughtfully. “To what extent, I have no idea. You have known her longer. What would she do?”  
“Well,” Dean says. “She would face the problem head on. She’d present her evidence and...”  
“Scooby doo the bad guy?” Jared offers.  
“Yeah,” Dean says. “But...we already know who the bad guy is so I. I don’t know what she would do now.”

 

A loud commotion is heard from the hall, interrupting their deductions. The commotion is different then when Roxanne returned. Much less relaxed and curious and way more serious. They look out the door and see OSI operatives heading towards the entrance, marching out in flanks. All of them are armed to the teeth and look tense, way tense. Jared manages to grab a hold of one to find out what the hell is going on to cause this.

 

“Super fight was picked up on the radio,” he gruffs out. “It’s real bad. A Guild grunt picked a fight with the New York super group CAL.”

 

“Where?” Dean asks, panic in his voice returning with new force.  
“Clichéd bastards are in Rockefeller Center,” he growls.

 

The operative frees himself from Jared and dashes to rejoin his group, wanting a piece of the action no doubt. Dean feels his stomach drop. He knows Roxx loves going there, no matter the time of year. Ever since moving to New York, that is where she wanted to go, no question. Every time she came over and they had time, they would head there. Even when it was packed, she loved it. She never stopped talking about how wonderful it was, and Dean knows she told Jared about it. He looks at Jared and he nods in understanding.

 

There is no point in them staying put anymore. Clearly the danger has reached the breaking point. They head out, ignoring pop yelling at him to get back where it’s safe. His hands are filled with Hank right now and Dean has to do this. This situation is nowhere near ideal, but he will deal with it all later when Roxanne is safe. They get outside the OSI building and get their bearings for where exactly they are located. It's quiet and far removed from civilization, all signs of the buildings' origin hidden under chrome plating and airplane fumes now.

 

“Get on my back,” Jared demands. “We can get there faster if we swing there.”

 

Dean nods in agreement. Jared tears his shirt off, revealing his web gland. Dean stuffs the shirt handed to him into his hoodie pocket for safe keeping.. Dean wraps his arms around Jared‘s now bare chest and hopes he doesn’t throw up from the bumpy ride. It's happened before, much to his embarrassment. He holds as tight as he can as Jared expertly navigates the city to the center. Dean can hear the sounds of sirens long before they arrive.

 

He prays they are not too late. They can’t be. He would never forgive himself for not doing more to stop Roxanne. If Garters did anything to her, Dean swears he will spend the rest of his life getting revenge for it all. Just thinking about Roxx in any kind of peril causes tears of anger to prick at his eyes. He knows Jared wouldn’t approve of his silent vow of revenge, but he will deal with that later. Maybe Jared will come to understand later. Dean hopes it doesn't come to that.

 

They land a bit bumpier then Dean would have wanted, but he didn’t get sick this time. Too nervous already? He tries to hand Jared his shirt but Jared is too busy staring at something in the distance. He has his hair raised, revealing all eight eyes to get a better look. Dean can’t make out what is going on, lacking even regular vision, let alone superior spider vision. He hears police sirens and sees them flashing. Gulping, he approaches, Jared close behind. He has to get a better look.

 

They approach bright yellow CAUTION tape roping off a large part of the area. Dean gasps at what he is witnessing. The area is just destroyed, rubble and debris of all sizes marring the once pristine center. He understands the rush from OSI now. It is going to take a long time to get the place back in working order, that is for sure. Looking around, he sees a few ambulances with shaken up people with blankets draped around them, but no definite bodies he can see. They could have already been taken away, but Dean is trying to stay hopeful.

 

“Took you boys long enough,” a rough voice says.

 

They turn and see a primly dressed woman with a black pill box hat absolutely glowering at them. He recognizes her instantly, even without her gravely voice. Hair perfectly coiffed sleek and black, not a wrinkle anywhere on her form fitting Guild uniform, she is the picture of sophistication. But what is Dr. Mrs. Monarch doing here, and not one of the other ones in charge of the Guild? Dean hopes maybe this isn’t Roxanne involved, but the look being shot his way tells him otherwise.

 

She stands aside and reveals a bound and bloodied Stars and Garters. His blonde hair is streaked with drying red and one eye is swollen completely shut, bruises forming on the exposed flesh. His suit is torn by what looks like sharp claws and is barely holding together by frayed threads. He sees them and his one good eye widens in panic. He starts yelling, muffled by the gag tied around his mouth. A Stranger walks by and smacks him, silencing him with a look.

 

He looks around, but doesn't see even a hint of Roxanne anywhere. Jared raises an eyebrow, asking silently what to do. Dean nods forward, hoping Jared gets the message. Jared goes to leave but is stopped by the death glare shot his way. He slinks back to Dean's side, ready for anything the angered Guild leader has to throw there way.

 

“Which one of you is going to explain why a level five protagonist group class was arching a level two second in command class?” Dr. Mrs. The Monarch demands. “And how and WHY she called MY HENCHMAN for help?”

 


	6. Remaking Webs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alliances are made as surprises unfold.

She's being a coward, doing what she is doing right now. But playing by OSI rules is how she got in this mess. And when you get in this deep, you call an expert to fix it. Roxx was surprised when he picked up, but was grateful as she sent a silent prayer of thanks Hank's way for sharing the number.

 

"Oh, hey Roxx. What's up?" a relaxed but rough voice answers.  
"Hey, Gary. Do you still work for Dr. Mrs. The Monarch?" she asks, knowing full well he does.  
"Duh," he answers, playfully of course.

 

A leathery creak of old vinyl greets her as he gets more comfortable on the other line. He must know this is serious. The time of her call and her tone must have given it away. Or 21 is psychic or clairvoyant. But that would be crazy talk. She hopes anyway, needing this to be on the downlow as much as she can.. She leans against a nearby building, breathing in the sights. Since moving here, she has loved Rockefeller Center. People are too busy being tourists and enjoying the views to say anything nasty to her. She sighs, knowing this is going to be another place she will never be able to go to again after all is said and done.

 

"I need help," she says, a pained tone in her voice "I have a super hero problem and I can't take care of it on my own."  
"Who's the problem?" his voice turns serious on her.

 

She can hear him typing on the other end, maybe logging into the Guild database to handle this accordingly? She wants this to be as low key as possible. For Dean's sake. Even after all that has happened, she still wants to protect him. After this is handled, she won't seek him out and let him have his happily ever after with Jared without guilt.

 

"Stars and Garters," she answers. "I don't think the rest of his group is involved..."  
"We need to talk, face to face," 21 says, a harsh pause later. "Just, be careful until I get there."

 

The watch clicks, the line disconnecting. She doesn't know how he knows where she is, but is confident he will find her soon. She clutched he bag closer, shivering in the cold air. And something else is making her shiver, like someone watching her with evil intentions. She makes her way closer to where the bright lights and chatting people are, feeling she would be a little safer in a group than out by herself. She knows she still stands out, back pack stuffed full in her arms and bright pink hair and creamy fur covered face a dead giveaway.

 

But maybe a crowd will deter him, if he is around. She feels the fur stand up at attention and she knows it's him, that nobody else would feel her with such dread. Part of her is grateful for her cat sense, but that part of her stays quiet for now. She trembles in fear, a flicker of movement in the dark corners make her quicken her pace to try and get into the safety of the crowd just ahead. Suddenly, she is yanked off her feet by...a golden lasso?

 

She feels herself getting dragged away from the edge of the crowd and she screams in blood curdling terror as the crowd fades from her view. The hard ground offers no resistance for her. She lets go of her bag, desperately clawing the ground for purchase, but the person wielding the lasso is too strong for her weak grasp. Her pink claws break off onto the concrete, bright flags of colour standing up in the ground, falling with a tic.

 

But she keeps scrambling, trying so hard to save herself. Nobody is helping her! Why won't anybody help her? She hears somebody in the crowd foolishly mention they didn't know a show was scheduled and she sobs. No! NO! She watches helplessly as the cheery glow of the crowd disappear into darkness. Tears streaking her face, she turns onto her back and grabs the lasso with her hands. It hurts, so much but she refuses to let go and starts trying to gnaw through the golden rope.

 

But it's too strong, even for her sharp teeth. She sees the crazed grin of her tormentor and yowls as she flings a wayward fireball his way. That he ducks with a chuckle. He holds her upside down, and his grin twists into something awful. She can't even claw his face, her claws currently embedded in the concrete a few feet away. She lets go of the lasso, her bloodied hands from where her claws were cracked too painful to hold any longer.

 

"Why?" she cries out.  
"Because," he states. "It'll mess with that loser Jared."  
"How? He doesn't like me," she whimpers. "You are actually helping him."  
"Don't lie to me," he says. "I saw how he looks at you, freak. Like he sees you as person or something. I'll fix that, don't you worry."

 

He pokes her nose and laughs as she tries to bite his finger. She doesn't know what he is talking about or what he has planned for her, but it can't be good. That look in his eyes is not one of sanity. It reminds her of...the Monarch when he was told he can't arch Rusty Venture and has to settle for the....next best thing.... The memory of the destroyed cat plush are still fresh in her mind and she renews her efforts. She needs to get away from him, now if not sooner.

 

Snapping and swiping at Stars and Garters with all her might, she just needs to delay him long enough for Gary to save her. She wishes Hatred didn't set fire to the cocoon so much right now, Gary would already be here. She gets lucky and catches the corner of one of his eyes, his blood mingling with hers down her wrists. He lets go of the lasso, grabbing the now damaged and rapidly swelling eye.

 

Feeling energized, she renews her efforts to little avail. He grabs her hand mid swipe and she hears a sharp KRAK as he squeezes down on the wrist. She whimpers, pain radiating down the now broken bones. She doesn't have time to try and swing again as he grabs her other wrist, breaking it just as soundly as the other. He grabs her cheeks and snarls.

 

"Now now, none of that rough stuff," he says. "Don't want your precious lover boy to think poorly of you, do you?'

 

His hand slides down around her neck and she weakly tries to fight him off. But her hands are useless now and she can only watch with terror as her vision swims away. A loud "Excuse me" is heard and she hears a metallic ping as she falls to the ground. She gasps for air, wriggling out of the lasso's grasp, making sure to get the entire lasso under herself so it can't be used against her again.

 

Her vision clearing as oxygen is restored, she watches as 21 and Stars fight. 21 has managed to force garters away from her and the crowd has finally clued in it's not staged. She manages to sit up on her knees, still woozy. 21 tosses some kind of flash grenade and Garters deflects it at a building, a large chunk breaking off in slabs of debris as he grins at him. She hears Garters call for back up on his watch and her stomach sinks. Can 21 fight all of CAL at once? She knows he can easily beat Garters into a pulp ad can give Mr. Brock a run for his money, but she doesn't know if he can handle five sanctioned heroes at once.

 

Roxx doesn't have long to worry as she hears the sounds of sirens greet her. Not just any sirens, but Guild funded sirens. Strangers swarm around Garters, not that it was needed to her surprise. While she was turning to locate the sirens, he has handled Garters, his back up nowhere in sight. She hears somebody come out of the darkened corner where Garters was . She spoke too soon, Warriana in her full outfit staring down at her. The Amazon tugs her lasso free and Roxx trembles in fear, scared that she'll finish the job that Stars and Garters started.

 

"You fought bravely, didn't you little warrior?" Warriana asks.  
"Why are you helping me?" Roxx asks, distrustful.  
"Because Stars and Garters was an honor-less snake," she proclaims. "Come. Your friends await."

 

Warriana picks her up, minding her broken wrists and scuffed knees. Roxx doesn't know how to respond, so she says nothing as Warriana passes her to a nearby medic. Ward in a white apron, she thinks. Pain clouds her vision too much to see anything more then the glowing headgear and unruly blond hair. She lays on the gurney, an actual professional checking her wounds. She is drifting out, she knows. But she asks if anybody found her bag and to her delight Ward presents it to her and sets it on a nearby table.

 

Her wrists are encased in pale pink plasters in no time flat. Her wrists had to be shaved, so when they remove the plasters it won't hurt as much when they are removed. Her knees were cleaned to prevent infection. Thankfully her knees didn't also get shaved. A sedative is given so she can rest, something she sorely needs. She is faintly aware of a voice yelling her name across the hall as a new person enters the room she is in.

 

She tries to shake herself free of the sedative already working it's magic to try and respond. She is softly pushed back into the bed by the new person. She barely processes the gleaming mechanical eye and dark eye that greeted her. The doctor that plastered her wrists tries to put up an argument but the man in the cloak is not having it. He barks out a command and now she is left alone with him and the other one

 

"Our boss can get your statement later," a gruff voice says, peering away from her. "Are you digging through her belongings?"

"She has the new Hello Kitty toys," a more child like voice whines.

"You can exchange toys later," the gruff voice says, exasperation in his voice. "Let her rest."

"Are you my mommy?" Roxx asks, words slurring.

 

Roxx knows the sedative is making her super loopy but she honestly can't recognize the two in her room now. Their names are on the tip of her tongue, her very rough and scratchy tongue. She just knows they are nice and she likes them, and not just because they know Hello Kitty. And she feels bad that she can't remember them, like she made a point to not forget. She hears guffawing laughter and flustered denials as she drifts into blissful unconsciousness.

 

She is awakened what feels like hours later by somebody yelling her name. Frantically and in a clearly panicked tone as other voices join in, trying to silence him. She tries to get up but is too weak, she can't even recognize the voice all the way. But it's soothing, and as her head clears his name comes to her. Dean. She whimpers his name, forgetting herself for a moment as her mind starts to clear. She hears a chair scrape on the floor, and she is helped up against the bed board by gentle hands. She looks over and manages a weak smile as she recognizes the always scowling dark eye.

 

"You're not my mommy," she says. "You're Mr. Watch. And Ward was digging in my bag, wasn't he?"

 

Watch isn't given a chance to answer when the sound of a bullhorn rings out. She yelps and tries to cover her ears to no avail . She forgot the casts prevent such movements such as that. She hears the crowd quiet. Peering as high as she can, she sees a swarm of Strangers in the hall. A swarm surrounding a figure that stands out among the plain black outfits of the lowest class of Strangers.

 

"I want to see Roxanne," a voice announces to Roxx's regret. Things are becoming clear and her stomach is souring painfully.

 

"Dean, why did you follow me?" she asks herself, rocking herself to try to stay calm. "You shouldn't be here."

 

"What more could you want with her?" a gravely voice roars, and Roxx cringes as Dr. Mrs. talks to Dean. "You have Stars and Garters in OSI captivity, thanks to MY henchmen and you still haven't explained how any of this shit happened!"

 

Roxx cringes, guilt souring her stomach even more. Watch shushes her before she has a chance to speak and she leans back into the pillows. Everything in her is screaming that she needs to let Dean go, to get up and tell him to get lost. Even though it breaks her heart, it's for the best. He isn't a bad person like her. He needs to go and have a good, normal life with somebody he can love and be happy with. And that can't be her, she knows that. Jared is the best thing that has happened to him. He can't toss that away for her, he just can't.

 

"I don't know!" Dean yells. "That Tosh guy from college just started messing with her. And Roxx has been acting weird even before that and I just found out she is a villain. I just want to make sure she's okay! "  
"Can't you just let him see her, for a minute?" a voice adds. "Let him make the right call for himself."

 

Was that...Jared...standing up for Dean being able to see her? After everything that has happened to them because of her? Is she dreaming right now? She looks over at Watch, who shakes his head, knowing what is on her mind already. She doesn't want to hear the next part of the conversation, she knows Dr. Mrs. is already getting annoyed. Roxx knows you don't mess with Dr. Mrs. the Monarch when she is having a bad day and this certainly qualifies. She can hear the yelling start back up and she can't handle any more.

 

Roxx grabs the longest pillow on the bed and folds it over head awkwardly to tune out what is happening. She feels tears pricking at her eyes again, this time from guilt. She didn't want Dean involved in this anymore. He should be home, introducing the one he loves to his family. Not in a smelly Guild hospital, getting yelled at by the overworked and overwhelmed Guild leader. This isn't fair to him, after all he has been through. It's like a never ending carnival trip, only Dad isn't there to make her feel better when her stomach gets queasy.

 

She whimpers, holding the pillow tight as she can with her injured wrists. She knows Watch is gazing at her with concern but she can't console him that she's fine. Because she isn't. She is so far from fine right now. This is her nightmare come to life right now. Dean dragged into danger because of her and her doing "the right thing" coming back to haunt her. And worst of it is, her rival is standing up for her, obviously out of pity.

 

Roxx finds herself rocking back and forth, whimpering as tears spill over, staining her fur again. She is aware of Watch awkwardly trying to comfort her, to little success. She knows he is ill-equipped to handle emotional distress of a teenage girl. Some part of her knows that this is unwarranted but she can't stop herself no matter how hard she tries. Her breath is coming out in short panicked puffs and the last thing she needs is a panic attack. She has never had one in her life, why should she start now?

 

But why not now? After all that has been said and done and all that she has been through, a normal person would have broken ages ago. But she didn't, not once did she give up, she kept fighting through. She feels her mind growing blank as her heart flutters in her chest. She must be having a heart attack, that's it. Her faulty spliced together genes are failing her, after everything. She can't get enough air, her vision is swimming even with her eyes closed so tight. It's all just too much for her and she just can't take it alone anymore.

 

The pillow is taken from her covered ears and she whimpers in distress. She tries to reach for it but hears it hit the ground. She feels arms wrap around her and slowly rock her while making soft shushing noises of comfort. Which works, she finds to her mounting confusion. She opens her eyes, eyes misted heavily. She looks up through tear streaked blue eyes and manages a broken gasp of shock. J-jared? What is he doing? Why is he comforting her?

 

"W-wh-what?" she hiccups.  
"Don't talk," he orders. "Dean is fine, Tosh is not able to hurt you anymore. Just try and relax, Roxanne."  
"W-why?" she asks, defiant.

 

He doesn't answer her but he does laugh. A deep, rumbling kind of soothing sound. Like a big cat purring. It's odd but she can feel her panic ebbing away. She swears he said something, but it's so faint, even to her ears she couldn't hear him. She attempts to wipe her eyes clean, but only manages to smudge the gunk worse with the casts. He extracts himself from the bed and grabs her a box of tissues, presented by a grateful Watch. She manages to grab a handful of tissues from the box and clean her eyes a bit better, blowing her nose before tossing the wad into a nearby wastebasket.

 

She hasn't forgotten her question and she looks at him. The hall has grown very quiet, a very good or VEERY bad thing in her experience. She knows that look in his eyes. He is going to out-stubborn her if it's the last thing he does. And she is too tired to fight much more. She slides down the bed, defeated for now. The pillow he took from her is back in it's stack, sneaky spider. He is about to leave when he pauses at the doorway, thoughtful expression in place, weighing something heavier then what has already transpired.

 

"Tosh," Jared starts. "Wasn't wrong. About....how I...look at you. I don't know Roxanne. It's all new to me and..."

 

He stops mid sentence, stopping himself before he says anything more. She can tell by how he is tensing up that he is trying to make up his mind on something important. But no matter what he decides to do he knows isn't going to be happy with himself. He crosses the room, muttering something about "Worked the first time" and kisses her.

 

She hears Watch attempt to put up an argument, but drop it as he looks away, mumbling his intentions not to see what is happening. Roxx doesn't notice, only having kissed one person before. And boy, Jared is way, WAY more experienced then Dean. He nibbles on her bottom lip, causing her to purr as he grabs her cheek. His hands feel rough against her creamy fur, a delicious contrast. She leans into the kiss. Well she tries to, but she winces as the pain in her wrists drag her back to reality. She looks up at him, soft pink tongue poking out.

 

"....You should rest," he finishes sharply.

 

She doesn't know what to think or how to feel. He leaves, and she can't help but notice he went in the opposite direction of where Dean's voice originated from. She looks over to Watch for guidance and receives a bewildered shrug. A loud knock on the now closed door disrupts the now duo. It's Watch's turn to look her way for guidance. She is so tired and not up for anymore visitors. But the knocking is so persistent she doubts even the authority of Watch can make them leave easily. She sighs, her mind already made up. Like there was any doubt about what she going to do.


End file.
